Now I Know What Love Is...
by Ruby Youkai
Summary: YES! This DOES have a rather large dose of S+S, but Meilin STILL plays a large roll in it. It's actually really really really sweet, please take the time to Read and Review!


CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? THE QUEEN OF MEILIN/LI WRITING A SAKURA/LI FANFIC!?????

On with the fic, CC doesn't belong to me so dont' sue.

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Now I Know What Love Is

-Sammie AKA Ruby Moon.

Meilin looked at Li. She noticed the dreamy absentminded look on his face, the slightly crimson hue to his skin, as he stared at the perky short-haired girl in front of him.

Sakura Avalon.

She sighed. Her feelings for Li were strong as ever. Meilin tapped her pencil on the desk, partially to keep herself from exploding, partially from total boredom.

*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meilin pulled her hair back and hastily held it in place with a flowery comb. It never stayed on well, but at least it looked nice. She ran out of the bathroom and looked for Li, as always.

There!

She found him sitting under a tree, scribbling something on a sheet of paper.

Meilin sat down beside Li, saying her usual 'Hi'

Sakura walked by and noticed Li sitting there.

Li looked up just to see Sakura staring at him.

both blushed and turned away, each almost making a 360.

Madison giggled and whispered something to Sakura.

Sakura flushed an even deeper red and slapped Madison hard yet playfully, denying something or another.

Meilin knew what that something was.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to go to sleep.

"Why am I bothering!? There's no denying it, he loves her, not me...so why am I fighting it like this?" She whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek.

"Well, I'm gonna clear things up. Now." She stood up and walked to Li's room, she felt...scared. Part of her wanted to know...wanted to finish all the wondering, all the suspense. the other part of her wanted to go back to sleep, too put off what would eventually come, that maybe somehow someway if she let it go on, it would fade away.

But she knew that wouldn't happen.

So quietly and silently she tip-toed into Li's bedroom.

"Li, can I-...huh?! Li!" She almost screamed, tossing back his blanket. No Li.

She looked all around his room...finally she walked out and saw something on the kitchen table, the moonlight gazing down on it, as if she was meant to see it.

Maybe she was.

It was a note...

Slowly, almost as if the scene before her would vanish with the slightest wrong move...she picked up the note and unfolded it.

Gone to help Sakura capture clow cards at the park.

Don't wait for me to go to school. I might be out late.

-Li

The short and almost icy-cold note fell from Meilin's hands as she grabbed her shoes and jacket, practicaly flying out of the little apartment building...heading straight to the park.

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"MADISON! I DO NOOOOOOT!" Sakura wailed.

"Or so you think. Li's gonna LOVE you in that outfit!" Madison retorted, stepping back, grabbing footage of the latest battle and Madison's attempts to pair the two up.

"Stop, Madison, OK?"

"Just admit it, to me at least. Alright, if you DO like him, nod yes, if not, nod no."

Meilin held her breath...

Sakura nodded...

Yes.

Madison squealed and started talking into the camera microphone, stating something or another about Sakura's confession while Sakura tried her very best to hide her face.

Meilin hissed silently...but, try as she might, she could never REALLY hate Sakura. She may act like it, talk like it, look like it, but deep inside she wished she and Sakura were friends...

Meilin shook her head. No, that won't work. She LOVED Li and anyone who stayed in her way, she hated.

But, still...it was hard to hate the happy and kind green-eyed beauty.

Maybe that's why Li liked her so much.

Meilin made it a point not to even shift her weight as she stared at Sakura, Madison, and Kero. She was good at spying and sneaking around, part of her training back at home.

Then, a sound that rocked the earth beneath her!

It felt like an explosion!

"There it is, the Sound Card."

"Sound card!?"  
"Yup. It's pretty mean, and it can make noises so loud they can create earthquakes. Be careful, Sakura."

Sakura nodded.

"FLY CARD, RELEASE AND DISPEL!"

Sakura rose above the trees, flying through the sky on her wand.

"FORCE, KNOW MY PLIGHT, RELEASE THE LIGHT....LIGHTNING!"

Li.

Suddenly, a patch of shimmering bluish light twisted and turned into it's visible form.

The Sound Card.

Suddenly, the card raised her hands and let out a sonic boom right at...

"SAKURA!" Li screamed.

Sakura felt the impact...it wasn't hard, but it DID knock her off balance.

The next thing she knew she was plummeting down, her fate rushing up at her with the cement that came closer with each passing millisecond.

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a terrifed scream!

Meilin gasped. Even to her, this was scary.

But Sakura never completed her fall.  
Because Li caught her, cradling her carefully in his arms, the look of pure relief on every feature of his face.

"Are you OK?" He asked, putting her down.  
"Y...yes, Li, thank you."

Li nodded and blushed again.

Sakura whirled around, to find the Sound Card fast approaching!

"SOUND CARD, RETURN TO YOUR POWER CONFINE!" She screamed, slamming the sealing wand on the card.

A burst of Light.

A Howl of Wind.

And the clow card rested in her hand.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Li asked...

Meilin was prepared...strangely enough, it didn't affect her the way she thought it would.

Her heart was already broken anyway, and as she stared at Li's big brown eyes as he stared at his one true love, she was overcome with emotions and feelings that confused her mind into total and utter non-existence.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*

Meilin rested her head against the door, quietly staring at Li who slept so peacefully. She smiled sadly...he was so tired he had fallen asleep in his cardcapturing robes.

She kneeled beside his bed and gently stroked his hair away from his face. She gazed down at him lovingly.

Li...can't you see that *I* love you? I do...I just wish you can see it. She thought...

But, still...your happiness is what matters most in my heart...in my heart and soul, Li, because you ARE my heart and soul.

Meilin tried her very best not to collapse crying. She already saw it coming...her heart was already broken.

Li and I have been through everything! Sakura can't understand...why would he choose her over me!? I mean, we trained together, live together, study together, we did everything together...but I suppose things just...don't work out. I think it's called...destiny.

"So Li..." She barely whispered. He breathed in and out deeply, peace etched on his face...he smiled a little. Meilin knew what...more accurately put, who, he was dreaming of. She drew in a deep and shaky breath. "I guess this is it. This is...goodbye. I'm doing this because I love you, and your happiness is worth more to me then anything in the world...even our engagement."

Meilin tucked the blanket carefully around Li's chin, and got up, walking out of the room and carefully closing the door behind her.

She took of a ring that she wore...it was an engagement ring, given to her by Li. She knew he never wanted to give it to her...but his parents made him. Of course, SHE had squealed in delight and gave him one of her ever-famous 'smothering' hugs.

She smiled and threw it out the window, the glistening diamond landing in a river, the moonlight reflecting off it as it floated away, like a star lost in a sea of darkness...strangely enough, though, it lit up the darkness that surrounded it, making it look around three to four times as big as it really was.

So Meilin quietly walked to her computer...quickly typing up two notes, and cooking up a plan that would make Li terribly happy....

and maybe, just maybe, make her snap back into reality.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meilin leaned against the wall and sighed. It was set...

The note was in Li's locker, he wouldn't discover it until due time when he was done with boy's PE and it was time to go home.

Of course, Meilin wouldn't walk with him back home, because he wasn't gonna be going back home.

Meilin made her way over to Sakura's locker. She pulled out the carefully folded, typed note from her pocket, straitening it out against the steel surfaces before slipping it through the ventilation holes.

"HEY! Meilin, what are YOU doing!? Your locker isn't here!"

Meilin froze and let her eyes wander to where the voice came from.

Madison.

The silver-haired girl walked up to Meilin, temperamentally grabbing the note from the other stunned girl's hand and opening it, reading carefully.

Meilin just stared, shocked.

"Alright, what's the catch!?"

Meilin looked at the floor "There is no catch...look, Madison, I'm...begging...you...please do NOT tell anyone, if you do my entire plan would be ruined."

"WHAT!?"

Meilin sighed "I know it may SEEM like I hate you and Sakura, but truth be told, yes, at times I dislike you two to an extreme, but I can never really hate anyone...and she loves...Li...and he...loves her...and if I keep standing in the way, Li will never be truely happy." She almost shed a tear. "And if Li isn't happy, moreso if it was because of ME, I could never live with myself."

Madison almost took a step back "I never knew..."

"Well, now you do so can you PLEASE not tell!?"

"I promise I won't...hey, can I be in on the details?! Like, where's a good place to hide so I can shoot footage, I can never miss THIS!"

Meilin looked skepticaly at Madison.

"You ARE going to hide somewhere and watch them, right!?"

Meilin nodded "Only enough to make sure things get going smoothly. Then I'm gonna go home."

"Oh...I'm sorry." For once she felt sorry for Meilin.

"Dont' be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sakura unfolded the note that somehow found it's way into her locker. In bold type, it said..

Dear Sakura,

I need to tell you this, alright?

I love you.

Meet me at the gardens, where both of us first captured the Thunder Card. Please...

Li Showron

Sakura almost dropped the note from the sheer shock she felt in her heart and mind.

Suddenly she let out a yell and strapped on her roller blades, not daring to waste any time...racing along almost as if she was affraid her dream come true will disappear.

*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Li ran.

He never felt so happy before!

Sakura LOVED him!

LOVED, not just liked, LOVED! She said so in her note she left in his locker.

Li grinned as he continued to run...hardly able to wait for his destiny that lay ahead of him...

There!

Sakura...she turned around and looked at him, the shy smile she gave him made his heart flutter and sent shivers down his back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Madison sat 15 feet away from Meilin. It was a better shot, even though it would give her away more easily. She shot a look over at her partner in crime.

Meilin's eyes were watery with tears, but she still smiled as she listened to Sakura and Li tell their true feelings to each other.

Li turned just enough for Meilin to see the out-of-controle grin on his face.

Madison noticed Meilin grin through her tears.

It was too touching to pass up. Madison shot footage of her former adversary, smiling because of Li's joy.

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"Sakura...I was always so scared to tell you...but when you left that note-"

"WHAT!? LI! *I* never left a note! I thought *YOU* left a note in my locker!"

"I never did...wait..."

"MADISON!" Sakura yelled.

"I bet she's here video taping us right now!" Li growled, looking at the bushes...finally he started heading right for...

Meilin's hiding place!

Meilin got up...she couldn't tear her eyes away from Li...but she had to.

Unaware that her hair comb had slipped from it's place, she took off into the lush garden.

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Li heard a small rustle, but when he parted the bushes he didn't' see anything.

Then he took a second look.

He picked up a pearlecent hair comb with delicate red flowers painted on it.

"This is meilin's."

Sakura frowned "Uh-oh...that's not good...I'm so sorry Li."

"No need to be sorry!" Madison giggled, standing up and brushing leaves off her dress.

"What!? MADISON!"

Li held up his hand "calm down Sakura. If it wasn't for Madison, we wouldn't have found out how we really felt about each other."

"Thank you ma-"

"Don't' thank me! thank Meilin, she was the one who typed up the notes, and came up with the idea in the first place!"

"MEILIN!?"

"She said something about caring for Li so much she just wanted him to be happy, that his happiness was worth more to her then anything, and if she stood in the way she couldn't live with herself...something like that."

"Meilin...I never knew she was so-"

"Kind? She never really was...well, she can be when she wants to." Li whispered. "So we owe all this to her."

Madison rewound her tape to the part where Meilin smiled because Li was finally happy. "Look" She commanded the two.

They looked...and the sight that met their eyes was so touching...they just HAD to thank her!

As if some telepathic message was sent between Li and Sakura, they rushed off to find her, Madison close on their heals, of course filming the whole event!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So this is it. Meilin thought while walking slowly down a small and almost deserted path. _Li and I are no longer, now it's Sakura and Li...but strangely enough I'm happy. _She looked up and smiled at the blue sky. _Because Li is happy, and I am no longer living in a lie...and Sakura is happy, too. No one lives in denial anymore...oh, I'm sure I'll find SOMEONE. I'm just glad that Li is happy._

"MEILIN!" Someone called from behind.

"MEILIN! WAIT!"

Sakura and Li.

Meilin turned around, smiling.

Sakura always thought Meilin looked like a big bully, mean and sarcastic. But with that sincere smile on her face and the happy look in her eyes, Sakura was almost envious of the girl.

Li and Sakura stopped in front of her, panting.

"Meilin...why did you do that for us?" Sakura asked.

"Why? Because...just because...you two belong together. It's called destiny, and if the greatest heros were unable to change it, who am I to challenge what is meant to be?"

"Thank you, Meilin." Sakura whispered.

"You're welcome...Sakura."

"Thank you, Meilin...we're still friends, right?" Li asked, holding his hand out.

Meilin took his hand and shook it warmly "OF course, you can't get rid of me THAT easily!"

Then she did something that shocked all of them. She gave Sakura a hug and whispered "Take good care of him for me."

Sakura nodded, tears in her eyes "I promise I will." She returned the hug.

"Aw, how sweet! Everyone, group hug!" Madison giggled.

Li blushed as Sakura flung her arms around his neck. Meilin grinned and stood by Li...in a friendly way, nothing more.

Madison took the picture. It was a little piece of happiness captured for them all.

Meilin shoved her hands deeper into her coat pockets "I think I'll get going now."

"Alright."

"Bye Meilin. thanks again!" Sakura yelled after the retreating figure.

"You will always be our hero, Meilin." Li whispered. Sakura nodded in agreement. The two newfound loves held each other and walked away, getting started on a new life, and adventure, like nothing they had known before.

It is called the adventure of Love!

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Meilin walked backwards, still staring at the spot Sakura and Li had been standing. It was quickly fading from view as the sun set, sending golden rays of light, mixing the world in a splash of shadows and pastel beauty. Meilin had never felt more at home and at peace then ever before. She grinned once again, thinking of Li and Sakura. She knew they thought she was only good at one thing...but she was good at two. Art.

She had the perfect picture of Li and Sakura standing under a cherry blossom tree already drawn in her mind. It would be perfect for a well-wishing gift.

"OW!" someone yelled behind her. Meilin then realized she had run smack into someone!

"Oh, I am SO sorry!" She said, offering her hand to help him up.

she had run into a guy, about her age, with the deepest midnight black hair and ebony eyes that sparkled underneath a pair of thin sunglasses. he smiled up at her and took her hand, pulling himself up.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized once again.

"It's OK. My name's Eriol." He whispered, his thick new England accent reaching her ears like a beautiful melody she never heard before.

"I'm Meilin." She said, blushing.

"Um...so I'll see you around."

"Yeah...sorry about that."

"It's alright, I always fall anyway." He said, a pink hue starting to appear on his cheeks.

"Okay." She whispered.

He started to walk away. just then he turned around and called after him "Meilin! Um...want to meet me here, after school!?"

"I'll be glad to!"

Eriol grinned and continued on his way, unknowing about his adventures that lay ahead.

As for Meilin, she stood there, shocked.

Had she just found the person destiny had wanted her to meet?

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Love isn't about chocolate boxes and red roses.

Deep inside, all love is the Same.

It's caring for someone so deeply that you are willing to give up everything for that person.

True Love is meant to be, and nothing can stand in the way.

Just like Sakura and Li.

Love is walking hand-in-hand through trials and tears.

Just like Me and Li.

So, y'see, everyone won in this case...

Because Li and Sakura discovered a future that was stored specialy for them...

And I found two new friendships that are priceless in my heart.

Sakura and Li's.

And Now, I look forward to walking hand-in-hand on that path of destiny with Eriol, whom I'm going to meet today.

Another thing that walks hand-in-hand with love is redemption.

Redemption isn't being pulled out of darkness,

rather, it's walking through darkness, with your friends at your side and love as a lamp to light the way.

-Excerpt from Meilin's Diary.

((A/N: was that too bad? I actually liked it! Please don't flame, this is my first Sakura and Li fanfic I wrote, and I know Meilin STILL plays a big part in this, but hey, I'm working on it! Thanks, and please review!

FOR THE PERSON WHO IS IMPOSTERING angel and angel OR gina_1004

PLEASE STOP. IT IS GETTING SERIOUSLY ANNOYING!


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